Sterilizing apparatus.



C. A. NENNO.

STERILIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED mu 1, 1914.

Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' [nae/77? C. A. NENNO.

STERILIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED lULY 1,1914.

Patented May 1, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Wf/veese W 4 K. WM

CLAYTON A. NENNO, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

STERILIZING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed July 1, 1914. Serial No. 848,364.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAYTON A. NENNO,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sterilizing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus used for sterilizing barbers implements, such as razors, towels, shaving mugs, brushes, combs and the like. In the practice of the barbers trade, it is desirable, after using such implements for one customer to subject them to a sterilizing process before again using them, so as to do away with the possibility of any infectious diseases being transmitted from one customer to another. Sterilization has been found to be the only absolutely reliable and eifectual method for accomplishing this result.

One object of this invention is to provide apparatus for such sterilization in which the articles can be thoroughly sterilized and which is of sucha construction that the articles can be easily inserted therein. changed about in the same or removed therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for such sterilization which is easily and cheaply manufactured and by means of which a variety of articles can be thoroughly sterilized simultaneously, thus effecting a great saving of time.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section 40 of the upper compartment, showing a razor in one of the holders.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan of one of the razor holders, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the 45 side wall and cover of the upper compartment, showing one of the razor holders.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of one of the razor holders on line 66, Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section of 50 the outer end of one of the razor holders and adjacent parts, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of the lower compartment.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the upper 55 compartment;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section of the same on line 1010, Fig. 9.

Figs. 11 and 12 are vertical sections showing details of the valve mechanism between the two compartments.

The apparatus is preferably made of sheet metal and comprises two main compartments, a lower compartment A and an upper compartment B. The upper compartment, which is of substantially smaller dimensions than the lower, rests on and is fastened to a rectangular base C having sloping sides and secured upon the compartment A by, soldering or otherwise. The top plate 1 of the lower compartment A preferably projects beyond the rear wall of the compartment and this overhanging portion is supported by brackets or flanges 2 fastened to the rear wall of the compartment. The base C rests on the top plate 1 of the compartment. If desired, however, the base 0 can be omitted and compartment B can rest directly on compartment A.

The lower compartment is adapted to contain shaving mugs, towels, brushes, combs and like articles, while the upper compartment is fitted with holders E adapted to hold the razors to be sterilized in such a manner that the blades will be subjected to the sterilizing agent while the handles will be located outside of the casing away from the heat and can easily be handled by the operator.

The bottom of compartment A is adapted to fit in the top of a boiler or steam generator of any suitable and ordinary construction, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and has a short pipe or tube D communicating with such generator through which the steam can pass from the generator to the lower compartment. Another pipe D leads from the top of the lower compartment Y through the base G into the bottom of the the same and to increase its stiffness. The plate I may be made of porcelain, metal or any other suitable material. The compartment A is provided with a cover K hinged to the top thereof in front of the upper compartment and adapted to be swung back on its hinges, as shown in Fig. 2, so that a large opening is formed through which the articles to be sterilized can be inserted. L represents a glass plate mounted in the front of the compartment, which latter is provided with handles M. O is a comb holder or rack which is secured to-the lower side of the hinged cover K, and P is a rack adapted to hold small towels and similar articles and is secured in the compartment at the side thereof. A rack or support Q, is secured to the side walls of the compartment to support a brush or similar article. Several of these racks and brush and comb supports can be provided in this compartment, if so desired.

The tube D leading to the interior of the lower compartment from the generator is the perforated plate I should in any manner become warped and thus partially or wholly cover the top of the tube, the steam could still find a passageway through the holes 5 to the lower compartment.

The upper compartment is provided with two sets of razor holders E which are inclined toward the middle of the compartment and extend with their upper ends through openings in the side walls. Each holder is formed by a tube which is divided lengthwise by a longitudinal slit e in the upper side of the tube. This slit is so narrow that the razor blade is confined in the same with the edge projecting above the holder and decreases in width downwardly, while the outer or upper portion of the slit is made sufiiciently wide to accommodate the shank of the blade.

The holders may be supported by any suitable means, for instance, by two upright plates S extending parallel to the side walls 3 of the compartment and reaching a height approximately one-half of the height of the side walls. These plates are located near the center of the compartment and are spaced a short distance apart. The upper end of the tube D is arranged between these plates and projects a short distance above the bottom of the compartment. The plates are provided with openings in which the lower ends of the holders are secured. The upper ends of the holders fit into openings V formed in the side walls 3 of the upper compartment, Figs. 3, 5 and 7. These openings extend upwardly through the upper edges .of the side walls so that the razors can be introduced into the same when the cover T is raised. The latter ex- 65 tends over these openings in the side walls provided with holes 5 near its top so that if and closes the same, Figs. 5 and 7. The razors can be inserted into the holders with great ease and there is no danger of dulling the edges by contact with metal. The holder slots narrow near the lower end of the holders sufficiently to form a stop for the lower ends of the razor blades when the latter are inserted therein, thus holding the razors firmly with the blades in upright position and in such a manner that their edges cannot become dulled by contact with any portion of the holder or adjacent walls. If the razors supported in the inclined holders are accidentally jarred so as to pull the blades away from the center of the cabinet, they will at once settle back in place, due to the inclined position of the holders.

Owing to the fact that the ends of the inclined holders fit tightly in the openings in the plates, the slit in the razor holders will not be unduly expanded and made unfit for holding razors of ordinary size by the insertion of heavy and broad bladed razors therein.

Practically the entire razor blade is ex posed to the action of the steam, while the handle of the razor is outside of the compartment and therefore does not become hot. Supports 6 for the handles of the razors which are being sterilized are provided on both sides of the compartment B so that the handles can rest thereon after the razors have been inserted in the holders. As shown in Figs. 1 and 10, the upper compartment is also provided with a glass front 7 In operation, towels, brushes, combs, shaving mugs and the like which it is desired to sterilize, are placed on the perforated bottom plate of the lower compartment or in the racks and holders provided therein and the articles are subjected to the action of the steam in the compartment. The valve leading to the upper compartment can be kept closed when no razors are to be sterilized. If the steam pressure in the lower compartment becomes too great and the valve in the upper compartment is closed so as to prevent the escape of the steam, the cover of the lower compartmentwill be lifted slightly, acting as a safety outlet, and the steam will escape.

When it is desired to sterilize razors, the cover of the upper compartment is lifted, the razors are slid into the holder slots edge upward, their downward movement being limited by the diminishing ends of the slots, the cover closed, and the valve between the two compartments is opened, the openings v the razor blades or the latter becoming dulled by contact with portions of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention.

1. In a sterilizing cabinet, the combination of a compartment adapted to receive razors to be sterilized and having recesses in the upper edges of the walls thereof, a cover for said compartment having recesses adapted to register with said recesses in the walls of the compartment to form openings through which the razors may be inserted, and inclined tubes secured in the recesses in said compartment and adapted to hold the blades of the razors within the compartment, the razor handles remaining outside of the compartment.

2. In a sterilizing cabinet, the combination of a compartment adapted to receive razors to be sterilized and having slots in the upper edge of a wall thereof, a cover for said compartment which closes the upper ends of said slots leaving openings in the wall of said compartment through which the razor blades extend into the compartment, said cover being movable away from the upper ends of said slots so that the razor blades may be inserted back edge first downwardly into said slots, and razor holders consisting of tubes slotted longitudinally at their upper sides and arranged with their upper ends secured in said slots and inclining downwardly into the compartment for supporting the razor blades in an inclined position therein.

Witness my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLAYTON A. NENNO.

Witnesses:

A. L. MoGEn C. B. HORNBECK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

